


Attachments and Sleep

by storminormin



Category: Trollhunters (Cartoon)
Genre: For the Glory of Fandom, Gen, and hugs, because jim's sleep schedule is shot during that first week, blinky is new to this whole 'sudden uncontrollable urge to dad', dad Blinky is good for the soul, ish, narrator voice: everything was not fine, sleep deprived jim has some good ideas, takes place from episode 5 to episode 9, this boy needs therapy, toby is a good friend who watches out for jim
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-06
Updated: 2018-02-06
Packaged: 2019-03-14 14:11:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13591740
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/storminormin/pseuds/storminormin
Summary: Yes, Blinky knew a lot about humans, but he had absolutely no idea what this was about.“Master Jim, do you make a habit of sleeping in bookcases?”In which Toby is worried, Blinky has an idea, and Jim finally gets some dang rest.





	Attachments and Sleep

Blinky had recently become a sort of trollish professional on humans in the eyes of the trollmarket dwellers. The average troll left their knowledge of the topland dwellers at the basics, leaving the nuances of human society quite lost on them; and they had been content with that -until they had gained a human trollhunter, that is.

Suddenly Blinky, (who knew two whole humans as opposed to the average of zero) had become the most knowledgeable troll on the subject of their topside neighbors. He took great pride in this, and given his acquaintances, believed he was best suited for the job.

Yes, he knew a lot about humans, but he had absolutely no idea what this was about.

“Master Jim, do you make a habit of sleeping in bookcases?”

Jim blinked groggily up at him, the trollhunter’s hair looking like the victim of an unexpected gnome attack.

“hhwatymean?” He managed, trying -and failing, to twist around and find a handhold to get himself out from behind what his sleep deprived brain had selected as ‘safe spot to collapse in‘. Commonly known as one of Blinky’s bookshelves. A few days ago he had discovered that there was a weird space behind this particular one, almost like someone had just shoved a shelf in front of a leaning wall - _hmm_ \- to hide the unevenness, leaving about a foot and a half of space between the wall and the shelf. It may not have looked like much to a troll, but for Jim it made a tent-like shape that blocked most of the light and kept any nearby voices at a calming murmur. Maybe sleep deprived Jim was onto something here, Jim thought.

“What I mean is,” Blinky said, offering Jim a hand after he seemed to be struggling with _how_ exactly to get out of the small hole, “Is it common for you to crawl underneath my bookshelves for rest? I’ve heard of loosing yourself in books, but this is ridiculous.”

Jim groaned but took the offered hand and pulled himself out. He was covered head-to-toe in dust bunnies, and running a hand through his hair just sent them down to his shirt or flurrying around him like a haunted cloud, so he gave up trying to look like (A) he hadn’t been asleep, and (B) that it hadn’t been under Blinky’s furniture.

“Or is it common for humans to sleep in small secluded places?” Blinky thought out loud, tapping a hand on his chin, looking to be seriously considering Jim’s sleeping choices.

“Nah… I usually crash if I get tired enough, but normally I make it to my bed.” The dust bunnies weren’t coming off his shirt without a fight, smudging and sticking and making a general nuisance. Arrrgh came to find the source of Blinky’s chatter, looming over Jim and sniffing him curiously, getting a nose full of dust. He violently snorted, nearly blowing Jim over with the force of it, but getting most of the offending flurries off of his shirt.

“Ah, well,“ Blinky said, completely unfazed by the small gale that had just blown through his library. He shook off his inquiries and began moving books around with all four of his arms, a process that was still mesmerizing for Jim to watch. “You needed to read some of these anyway.” He pulled three heavy tomes from different shelves and piled them into Jim’s hands.

“OHf- Oh goody, more reading.” Jim grunted, his balance wavering to one side. Arrrgh nudged him back upright before he toppled over.

Blinky gave him a sidling look over his shoulder that suggested he was about to launch into a long capitulation of the importance of knowledge and books, but just as he turned to properly convey his true feelings on the matter, Toby interrupted.

“Hey Jimbo, you in here?”

“Yeah, I was just on my way out.” He gave a ’ _what can ya do?_ ’ shrug at Blinky as he edged further away from the possibility of a lecture, and -heaven forbid- more reading material.

Blinky avoided rolling his eyes at the trollhunter’s antics, but sighed, “At least attempt to comprehend what you read this time, Master Jim.”

Happy at being let off so easy, Jim grinned and ran towards the entrance, yelling a, “Will do Blinky!” over his shoulder as he escaped, eliciting a yelp from Toby as he shot past him. Toby had to jog to catch up.

“Thanks for that Tobes, I thought I was about to be stuck in there all night.” They made their way up the stairway, trollmarket stretching out behind them, glowing warmly against the grey stone walls.

“Ah, no problem Jimbo, but to me it looks like you’ll be up all night anyway.” Toby tapped the books Jim was hauling with the horngazle as he walked to the hidden doorway.

“ _Uuggh_ , I know, and I still haven’t studied for that test…”

“At least you did okay on that Spanish presentation-”

Their voices faded out as they walked back into their normal lives, and the underside of the bridge went back to being a normal canal.

 

As Blinky arranged the books back into their well-memorized chaos, he wondered why the troll hunter had been all the way in the back of the library. Even in the short time frame Blinky had known the boy he knew it was too much to hope that he had been reading on his own accord.

Was he seeking solace? Blinky was aware of how taxing the job of trollhunter could be, and honestly the amount of frivolous tasks always seemed to increase anytime the trollhunter was in proximity to trollmarket. He thought back to the many times that Kanjigar, tired of gnome problems and running errands to no end, would duck in ‘to study’ while Blinky and Arrrgh kept a lookout for any well-meaning but unwelcome trolls.

Blinky knew Master Jim’s relations with the trolls in trollmarket wasn’t the best, and while it made sense that he might want to avoid certain trolls -mainly Draal-, the trolls didn’t need -moreso Jim didn’t need- to be avoided. Maybe the animosity between them could be forgotten, with a little time and care.

Blinky finished arranging the books, but shelved the bottom corner books up higher, just in case. He was curious if this little quirk was common for humans or a just a habit of Master Jim himself.

                                                      ooo0ooo

The next evening he found the boy sitting at the table -or partially at least, as he was quite literally face-planted in one of the books Blinky had given him yesterday. He must have fallen asleep waiting for Blinky to come question him on his reading. As odd as it was seeing someone who was usually attentive so very _unattentive_ , the trollhunter had also fallen asleep during his brief summarization on troll history. Blinky was beginning to wonder…

Jim startled awake when Blinky took a few steps into the room, looking around dazedly, possibly for another gnome ambush.

“Tired, Master Jim?” Blinky asked.

“Uhh. No, no I- I’m good” He managed, going a bit red, realizing he had done it again. “Sorry, I just- It was quiet and uh… Sorry.”

Blinky shrugged it off with a chuckle. “It is no matter, on to the subject at hand!” He immediately set to pacing as he got into his ‘teaching stance’. Two hands behind his back, one at his side, and one to gesture with. “Now, in chapter fourteen, we left as the Conundrum tribe….

                                               ooo0ooo

To say he was a little concerned about the trollhunter’s sleep schedule would be an accurate statement. But with the flurry of the fight with Draal, the discovery of the bridge and the changeling spies within Arcadia, and then convincing Vendel _of_ the changeling spies, Blinky had been distracted as of late. It seemed that quite suddenly, very many things had decided that now, of all times, was the best time possible to break, explode, or draw as much attention to itself as possible. It was almost uncanny, and he had a feeling it was more than just a coincidence.

He was deep in the paranoia of that particular train of thought when Toby rushed in.

Blinky wasn’t even able to open his mouth in greeting before Toby shouted in a rapid-fire panic. “-Jim was supposed to meet me at my house tonight but he never came and he won’t answer any of my texts and I’m really worried cause what if Bular got him-or one of those changelings snuck into my house before I got there and-”

“Tobias calm yourself!” Blinky said, grabbing the boy’s shoulders and halting his panic-induced gush of words. “I am certain that the trollhunter is fine. We will go out, and we are going to look for him, and we will do it in an orderly fashion. Yes?”

Toby nodded, his mouth shut, but his eyes still wide.

“Good. Let’s find Arrrgh and split up, cover more ground, he must be within trollmarket somewhere, but we’ll send Arrrgh topside just in case.”

He wasn’t going to worry. He was certain that the trollhunter had gotten distracted or gotten pulled into some charitable act and forgotten the time. This was nothing to worry about.

 

They had only searched for ten minutes before Blinky accepted that the gnawing ache in his gut was most certainly worry. If word got out that the trollhunter was missing there would be a mass panic, and not to diminish the seriousness of their situation, but -combined with the problems on the surface threatening life as both trolls and humans knew it- Blinky simply did not have the time.

“Think Tobias, does he have anywhere unusual he likes to visit? A certain tree, a graveyard, anything?”

“URG- I’m thinking but nothing’s coming up! Jim _never_ runs off without telling someone- not after that time when we were seven…”

“Is there anyplace, any at all where he’s ever gone for solace-” Blinky jerked to a sudden stop and did an abrupt about-face, narrowly avoiding crashing into Toby, and started running back the way they came. “Waitwaitwaitwait- Of course! I should have checked there before running off on this wild duck chase!”

“What- where?” Toby yelled as he turned around as well. “Okay, - _huff-_ I’m right behind you! - _wheeze_ \- how the heck are you so fast with those legs-”

Blinky made it there within five minutes. Rushing to the back of the library, he crouched next to the hidey hole, removing the books from the second shelf to peer into the darkness behind them. Sure enough, the trollhunter was curled up, his back to the wall, a still-lit flashlight was laying next to him, and “A Brief Capitulation of Troll History, Volume 11” was being smushed into his face in part of what, as a whole, seemed like an extremely uncomfortable sleeping position. He could tell from the slow rise and fall of his chest that the boy was sound asleep, his shoulders unusually relaxed in this state. Blinky didn’t have the heart to wake him up.

Toby rushed in a moment later, the some of the tenseness leaving him when he saw Jim under the shelf. “Uuh, man, what are we gonna do with you Jimbo?”

“If I may Tobias,” Blinky said, keeping his voice low for Jim‘s sake, “I would suggest letting him sleep here for tonight, he seems to need it and I am… a bit reluctant to wake him up.”

“Yeah, I could come and get him up early tomorrow. We have a class we really don‘t need to miss.” He took off his backpack and scrambled under the shelf briefly, returning with the book and the flashlight, setting them on a higher shelf. He dug through his backpack, procuring a pen and piece of paper, and scribbled a quick message, sticking it next to Jim.

“He keeps falling asleep in class.” Toby said suddenly, looking up at Blinky, open and honest, stark against his usual colorful cheer. “I’m worried about him Blinky.” He turned back to Jim. “I’ve tried talking to him, but he just says he’s fine. He isn’t though.”

Blinky swallowed. Toby looked at him straight in the eyes. “Will you talk to him if you get the chance?”

“I will.” He replied, a bit intimidated by the intense eye contact.

“Thanks. If anyone asks, he’s at my house.” Toby chuckled, returning to his normal self, shoving his supplies back into his pack. “Not that anyone will ask, but still. Keep a few eyes on him for me.”

“I will. Make sure you get Arrrgh to walk you home, I’ve had enough worry for one day.”

“Will do.”

Blinky settled himself against the bookshelf. He had a lot to think on. He sat, watching the young trollhunter murmur and burrow further into his balled up jacket, the action bringing a small smile to his face, and he wondered just how on earth had he ever let himself get so attached, so quickly. _To both of them_ , he thought to himself. Toby’s loyalty to Jim knew no bounds, even if it meant following him into a magical world filled with trolls. He was impressed with how both of them had taken it in stride. _Though not completely it would seem_ , he thought, glancing at Jim.

Not yet sixteen. A mere whelp in comparison to his kind’s age. Practically defenseless without the trollhunter armor, untrained in any survival skills, and so very easy to kill.

Blinky really did pick the worst ones to favor.

Kanjigar’s death had been a heavy blow, to both him and Arrrgh. He’d lost too many to attach himself willy-nilly to every being that passed his way.

The bookshelf wood creaked desperately and he released the death grip he’d taken on it.

And yet he couldn’t help himself. The thought of distancing himself had never crossed his mind, and now he couldn’t imagine forcing it; Draal and Kanjigar’s relationship drove the thought from him entirely. They’d wormed their way close to him without him noticing.

As if sensing his thoughts, Jim muttered and stretched in his sleep, his hand coming to rest near Blinky’s.

It was all worth it, he thought with a smile, just knowing those crazy, amazing, tenacious humans; it was worth so much, and he wouldn’t give it up for the world.

He picked up a book to read while he waited for the trollhunter to wake up. Willing to wait all night to talk to him, if need be; he’d promised after all.

 

About an hour later Blinky heard what sounded like a whine coming from the hole. Blinky glanced over to see the trollhunter stiffen in his sleep, his face pained as he tried to reach something, grabbing air and making a sort of low keen in the back of his throat.

It was somewhat expected of a warrior to experience night terrors and the sort, but still… Blinky sighed heavily, but waited before intervening. Unless it persisted, the best thing to do would be to let him come out of it on his own.

And he did scarcely ten seconds later, jerking up and banging his head on the bookshelf. Blinky winced sympathetically. That would leave a mark.

A few mild human swears were mumbled along with some choice trollish ones before Blinky heard a soft, “…. _oh not again_ ….”

Yes, he was going to have a little chat with the trollhunter about his sleeping habits.

Blinky kept his tone casual, “So. How long have you been having nightmares?”

Jim jumped at his sudden voice, smacking his head again, eliciting another trollish swear (Blinky was going to either have to cut back on his own swearing or enforce an age limit).

He poked his head out, looking groggy, irritated, exhausted, and still a bit spooked, yet managing to convey both small and ready to fight in all of these; The post-gnome-attack hair was back -Blinky was starting to believe that this was its natural state- and his shirt was clinging to his chest, damp with sweat.

Jim squinted, then shivered in the cool, underground library, his eyes drooped closed for a brief second before snapping back open and focusing on Blinky.

Blinky took this as close enough to attention as he was going to get out of the sleep-deprived whelp and continued. “Master Jim, I understand you want to do this the brawl-hard way and deny help, but there are full-grown trolls out there who simply couldn’t take what you have seen and done, and Groncus knows they never stop complaining about anything. In the very least you could tell us when something is bothering you.” He punctuated the sentence with a stern glare, both sets of arms crossed as he tried to convey his disappointment.

Jim leveled a very long, blinking look at him, seeming to gather words to himself, and energy to speak, then said, his voice low and scratchy, “Look, I understand this is an important conversation, but I’m literally so tired I can only understand like half the words you’re saying.”

It took Blinky a few seconds to translate the sentence into something intelligible, but once he did he looked the boy up and down with scrutiny, taking in the half-lidded squint and the bags under his eyes and how he kept closing them and listing off to the side before bobbing back up like a cork. The boy was practically dead on his feet.

“Case in point.” Blinky said, putting a hand under the boy’s chin to help focus his eyes on him. “You. Are. Sleep deprived. This is unacceptable. A trollhunter needs to be in peak condition at all times.” He used his lower arms to pull the boy out of his hidey hole and set him down next to the shelf, provoking a sleepy grumbling noise from him. Blinky continued, “So you are going to sleep. Here. Now.”

Jim's eyes shot open at the word _sleep._ “Wh-NO!” He yelped, pulling back from Blinky like he might put him to sleep then and there. Blinky leveled a look at him, waiting for what truly would need to be a brilliant explanation to prevent him from doing just that.

Jim squirmed a bit under the glare, looking down at the floor. “I can’t sleep, I just keep having nightmares every time I try. I’m _exhausted_.” He admitted, leaning against the stiff bookshelf again. “But sleeping just… isn’t working.”

He looked quite pitiful.

Blinky didn‘t even try to quell the feeling that rose in his chest at the sight. The boy was much too young to be dealing with this. Blinky had no idea what Merlin was thinking, picking a whelp for a warriors job. At a loss of what to do, he began nervously gathering Jim’s things into his backpack, giving the amulet an extra hard stare just in case Merlin could see him. But an idea came to him as he picked up the rolled up jacket.

“Master Jim, would you be willing to try something?”

Jim didn’t even move, but replied. “Anything at this point.”

Blinky stood, and then paused, reluctant to leave the boy here. He had promised Toby to watch him. After a moment of indecisiveness, then rolling all six of his eyes at his own hesitancy, he decided to just do it. He scooped Jim up with his lower two arms, walking briskly to the front, unsure if he was breaking some kind of personal boundary but determined to see his idea through.

To his credit, the trollhunter only startled for a moment, then leaned back against him. Blinky could feel Jim’s eyes on him briefly before he started nodding off, his scrawny body jerking against him every time his head began dipping down.

Blinky had to set him down for a minute as he trotted around, gathering everything he needed, the actions old but familiar from Arrrgh‘s earlier days. Jim curled up under his jacket that Blinky had set over his shoulders, arms around his knees and his head on his forearms, trying to watch Blinky as he bustled around.

He tapped Jim’s shoulder as he deposited the last few sheets into the pile.

Jim said something that sounded like _thanks_ and appreciatively collapsed into the makeshift bed.

“Not a problem Master Jim.” Blinky said with a smile, picking up the last blanket and dropping it over the trollhunter’s head.

He grumbled and glared at Blinky from underneath the faded blue comforter. “So this supposed to help…. How?” His sentence broken by a yawn.

Blinky hummed as he turned to a shelf and browsed for another book. “Well, it isn’t a tried and true method, but believe it or not Arrrgh used to have troubles similar to yours, and we tried several things -he tried many on his own before he told me he was having trouble, of course- but eventually we discovered that having someone else nearby, and having a little light helped quite a bit. I will be here reading if you need anything, so please, do try to get some sleep.”

Blinky turned from the shelf to see Jim curled up, dead to the world. Blinky’s short speech had put him to sleep immediately, and Blinky couldn’t help the fond smile that crossed his face. He chuckled quietly to himself, “Goodnight then, Master Jim.” and settled down to a nice book.

 

Jim woke up only once, and it was to the sound of Arrrgh’s heartbeat and breathing (the large troll had apparently returned in the night and curled himself all around Jim like some kind of giant protective guard dog). That, combined with the sound of Blinky turning the pages of his book now and again, tuned out whatever throes his dreams had conjured up, leaving him in a warm, sleepy calm.

_It was nice._

Jim decided that sleep-deprived Jim definitely had the right idea, then promptly went back to sleep.


End file.
